Tuesday, May 9, 2017

FACEBOOK GROUPSI am relatively new to Facebook ... using it mostly to keep up with all those things that Facebook uses to distract you from the real world, it seems!However, just recently I discovered that there were some Facebook groups comprised of people who have had transplants of all kinds, liver, kidney, kidney and pancreas, lung, double lung, heart, and multivisceral (liver, kidney, pancreas, large and small intestines). Of course, there are even more types, such as corneal, islet cell and stem cell transplants, bone marrow transplants, and ... well, science just keeps on providing us all kinds of new ways to stay alive a little longer each day.Two groups which I have joined (Both are "closed groups," which means you have to ask to join in order to follow posts to the page) have become some of my favorite places to be when it comes to all that Facebook has to offer.ORGAN TRANSPLANT SURVIVOR (FB)This FB group, Organ Transplant Survivor, is watched over by Joe Kralicek, who sees to it that the posts stay on topic and that it is a place where transplant recipients, family members of donors, and pre-transplant patients can come and ask questions and get news about what being a transplant patient and survivor is all about.The description of the site reads as follows:"A friendly group of organ transplant recipients, donors and family members where you can find support and insights into all things transplant. Founded by Andre Gonzalez in 2008, a two-time Liver transplant recipient, he and many others are here to provide information, spiritual support and advice. We have all types of transplant recipients here and you are welcome to share your transplant experiences, ask questions and come to know that you are not alone with your transplant ... " With nearly 6,700 members from the United States and all over the world, it is a very good place to get support and advice from those who have "been there and done that," even if you can count yourself among those already.

THE TRANSPLANT COMMUNITY OUTREACH (FB)The description of Transplant Community Outreach's page says:
"We are an online support group of individuals and families who are recipients, are waiting for a transplant, are donor family members, caregivers, or those who have a connection with organ donation and transplantation.

"We welcome opportunities to offer encouragement to others who have been given this Second Chance at Life but who may be experiencing health or emotional difficulties and want our support.

"To offer thanks to our Donor Family members who gave us The Gift of Life.

"More than 20,000 are performed in the U.S. each year, but 120,000 people currently need the operations and more than 6,500 die waiting."

With more than 5,800 members there is a lot of news and support to be found at this group as well.

OTHER FACEBOOK GROUPS

There may be more, and I am sure there are, but these two have so far kept me pretty busy at posting, reading and replying about all I am curious about when it comes to the world of organ transplantation.

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Intro

In 2015 I was fortunate enough to receive a liver transplant at Indiana University Hospital. My name is Philip, and I and many others can say that we are "livering proof" that the organ donation system does and can work for anyone, all due to the thoughtfulness of just one person, the organ donor. If you want to know more about what it is like to get a organ transplant in general or at University Hospital in particular, this is a place to discover more from one patient's perspective.